Emily Blunt wants gay fans

The 26-year-old actress plays a woman caught up in a passionate lesbian love affair in new film 'Sunshine Clearing' and is excited about reaching a new fan base, even if she can't fully relate to them.

She said: "I'm going to becomea gay icon. Have I ever flirted with that side? No, never, but I do remember girl crushes on other girls in your year group at school.

"There are these girls who are magnetic and beautiful and so cool. You just feel yourself shrink in their presence.

"I absolutely remember how powerful 16-and-17-year-old girls can be. I look at them now - my little sister is 18 - and they do seem very grown up."

But while Emily is often in awe of her younger sister, her family is not fazed by her fame, which has been steadily growing since she appear opposite Anne Hathaway in 2006 comedy 'The Devil Wears Prada'.

The actress told Britain's The Observer newspaper: "I think they're very proud of me but in the way you'd sort of expect, not in a gushing, obsequious way, but just because I'm their child. I think they're relieved their child is doing well in a business that is known for crushing people."